category

period

Afshar saddle cover

c. 1900
Persia

DESCRIPTION:

For the nomads of Persia, equestrian skills were vital. The ancestors of the Afshars, along with other Oghuz Turkic people, arrived in Iran approximately 1000 years ago as skilled mounted warriors. This Afshar saddle cover reflects a definite south Persian aesthetic, with mirrored ‘boteh’ paisleys, flanked by abstracted trees, drawn in each corner. An elongated blossoming tree is drawn along the central spine of the piece. The red field is punctuated with a series of dots, in the manner of Afshar pile bags from the same era.